The present invention relates to a process for fixing vehicle body elements to each other.
In particular, the present invention relates to a process for fixing the body roof to the remaining elements of the body (bearing structure) previously assembled by known processes.
The invention also relates to a vehicle body obtained by the said process.
It is known that to confer to the vehicle body a sufficient mechanical resistance it is necessary for the body to be stiffened at the connection rim connecting the roof to the sides and to the respective connection crossbars of these latter. This stiffening is obtained by providing within the body, at the said rim, a box-type structure, by means of bent elements of plate which are spot welded to each other and/or to the sides, the front and rear crossbars and the roof.
This solution has some disadvantages. In the case of a roof which is not part of the box-type structures, these latter are obtained by sequentially welding a plurality of bent elements to the sides and to the front and rear connection crossbars prior to assembly of the roof; accordingly, the process of assembling the roof and the respective body stiffening structures renders it necessary to provide numerous weld beads. In particular, to obtain completely closed box-type structures having the maximum torsional stiffness, at least four weld beads are necessary, namely, three for forming the box-type structure and a fourth bead for fixing the roof to the remaining elements of the body. This involves high production costs and long working times.
In the case, instead, of box-type structures which are integrated with the roof, two weld beads only are necessary, inasmuch as said structures are obtained by means of a single bent frame-shaped element lap welded to the sides together with the roof, at one bent rim of this latter, by means of a common weld bead.
However, this process requires the use of joints outside the vehicle, which result in being esthetically unattractive, and above all it requires applying onto the joints waterproofing adhesives and/or fluidtight mouldings in order to prevent the joints from becoming quickly corroded.